Opinions and Knowledge of Midwives Regarding Physical Exercise During Pregnancy: Insights and Implications for Midwifery Practice

Background Physical exercise during pregnancy offers significant benefits for maternal and fetal health, improving cardiovascular fitness, managing weight, and reducing risks of gestational diabetes and hypertension. Despite these benefits, the role of midwives in promoting exercise is critical but often underexplored. Materials and methods This cross-sectional quantitative study surveyed 172 midwives using a structured questionnaire to assess their knowledge and attitudes towards physical exercise during pregnancy. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests, were used to analyze the data. Data collected through the questionnaires were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics v. 29 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Among the 172 participants, 97.7% were female with a median age of 36 years. While 65.1% engaged in physical exercise themselves, only 26.7% recommended exercise during pregnancy to their patients. The knowledge level of midwives about the benefits of exercise was high, with 95.3% recognizing its role in maintaining hormonal balance and 88.4% understanding its benefits in reducing gestational diabetes. However, 32.6% of midwives reported not feeling confident in guiding pregnant women on how to exercise. Statistically significant correlations were found between midwives' opinion level and their knowledge of exercise benefits, including proper weight gain (rho = 0.263, p = 0.01) and reduced likelihood of gestational diabetes (rho = 0.492, p = 0.01). Conclusions Midwives recognize the importance of exercise during pregnancy but require more training to provide effective guidance. Enhancing midwives' education on exercise can improve maternal and fetal health outcomes by promoting physical activity during pregnancy.